Owing to our repeated absence, the book has not appeared 

 in that "due proportion" desirable in all its parts. Could we 

 have always been at hand to shape the copy as it was called 

 for, we believe the book would have appeared in a somewhat 

 improved form, and some slight errors, in dates, have been 

 detected, in time to correct them.* 



We would, therefore, in view of all this, claim the indul- 

 gence of the reader for any imperfection he may notice. — 

 That we have been sometimes too rapid in recital, and again 

 too prolix in detail, we know. This, however, we could not 

 avoid in order to connect detailed facts and events, as we had 

 not all the materials before us when we commenced the com- 

 pilation, consequently could not know when to be concise, 

 and v/hen to enlarge. Situated as we were, " to strike a new, 

 dark and devious path, without a guide to follow," was the 

 only course left us. With these facts before him, the good na- 

 tured critic, it is believed, will excuse the Compiler. 



The acknowledgments of the compiler are due, for facts fur- 

 nished, to the following gentlemen: Hon. Charles M'Clure, 

 Secretary of the Commonwealth; H. K. Strong, State Libra- 

 rian ; Col. E,. M. Crain, of the Land Office ; G. W. Harris, of 

 Harrisburg ; Messrs. John Thome, T. H. Burrowes, H. A. Car- 

 penter, E. C. Reigart, R. Conyngham, Joseph Konigmacher, 

 A. Dubree, Gardner Furness, H. F. Slay maker, John Slayma- 

 ker, George Diffenbach, Samuel Bowman, Abraham Mylin, 

 Christian Herr, Henry Flickinger, John Strohm and others. 



We are particularly indebted to Mr. John Beck and George 

 Ford, Esq. for the free use uf their MSS. Prof. S. S. Halde- 

 man, furnished chapter XTII ; J.J. Libhart, of Marietta, the list 

 of birds, and the drawings by a self-taught artist, Mr. C. S. Getz, 

 proprietor of the Lancaster Museum. 



Lancaster, Dec. 1843. 



*ConRECTioxs.-TP. 122, 4th line of the note, read 1712— p. 257, 4th 

 hne from bottom, read, as early as 1631 — p. 264, 4th line from the top, read, 

 Lowe— p. 296, 12th line, read, in 1785— p. 308, 9th line, read 1742— p. 310, 

 1st line, read 1744 — p. 316, read, Charles — p. 323, 5th line, read sciences — 

 p. 442, 13th line, read, one hundred and sixteen. 



